Meet the Team
World-leading experts who are with you all the way.
Andreas Liefooghe
A life-long horseman, and a professor of psychology and psychotherapy, Andreas has been helping people make sense of their lives for over 25 years. He founded Operation Centaur, Europe’s foremost centre of equine-assisted psychotherapy, where horses facilitate an environment of learning and change. Author of hundreds of publications, his latest book providing detailed evidence of the effectiveness of equine-assisted programmes is the benchmark text in the field. He holds professional memberships with the BPS, BACP, HCPC and CIPD.
Apart from his private client list, Andreas has worked with organizations such as Microsoft, British Telecommunications, The Priory Hospital Group, Telefonica, the Royal Air Force, Time Warner, RBS, Nightingale Hospitals, The Royal Parks and Palaces, amongst many others. As professor at Sasin, Bangkok’s eminent business school, he has guided leaders both in government and private enterprise on leadership and human factor issues for the past twenty years.
“Trying to change makes no sense without knowing what keeps getting you stuck. Find what holds you back, and the rest is a walk in the park”.
Andreas is based in London, UK, with his therapy herd of 30 amazing horses.
Susan Kahn
Dr Susan Kahn is a Chartered Psychologist and Executive Coach who has worked alongside horses in her practice for over a decade. A keen observer of life, she has helped individuals and organisations reach their full potential, be it in a prison or a corporate HQ. A focus on emotional intelligence and working below the surface are just two of the ways she blends her experience into her inimitable stance.
Susan is the director of the trailblazing Coaching programme at Birkbeck, University of London. Her latest book on resilience and the power of failing fast, Bounce Back, is already hailed as a classic. She runs Masterclasses on resilience with The Guardian and is a regular keynote speaker.
Susan lives in London and Tel Aviv.
Raul Aparici
Raul Aparici is a speaker, coach, consultant and facilitator and teaches on the Postgraduate Coaching Programme at Birkbeck, University of London. He is also the Head of Faculty for The School of Life in London, an organisation devoted to increasing people’s fulfilment through culture and psychology. Drawing on rich and varied experience including a career in the fitness industry, an MA in Critical Theory, and an MA in Gestalt Psychotherapy, he likes to match academic insights with real life wisdom.
Raul regularly speaks at events and in organisations around the topics of self-knowledge and emotional intelligence and he also works as a psychotherapist. His clients include Sony Music, Salesforce, Telefonica, Docuserve and NiQuitin amongst many others. He regularly leads retreats and experiences internationally.
“If I had to sum up my entire philosophy of life in two words, I would say: be curious. Through our work we will identify what our edges are and push beyond. I believe relationships are at the core of healing; and at Retreat & Conquer we explore what it really means to be with.”
Raul lives between London UK, and Barcelona in Spain.
Phoebe Oliver
Phoebe Oliver is our expert on all things equine, well-being and travel. She manages all applications for the retreats, helps people make decisions and ensures the perfect fit. Phoebe understands the power horses can have on the human psyche. Riding from the age of two, she pursued a successful career with horses and relationships at it's core - whether it was looking after people and their horses at her stables, conducting EAP sessions, or guiding people on horseback in some of the most remote places in the world. Phoebe is instrumental in curating extraordinary venues and locations for Retreat & Conquer.
"My passion for horses has always been a driving force in my life - being able to listen to someone's needs and then finding the perfect place for them to experience that equine connection is simply the best job in the world".
Phoebe also manages all press enquiries.
Davy Liefooghe-Hawkes
We work in remote places, and our retreats are off-grid both psychologically and physically- which brings its own operational challenges.
Thankfully, we have an ace operational director in Davy. Culturally aware and logistically astute, Davy has travelled far and wide and lived on five continents managing complex missions and logistics in hospitality.
From bringing horses into deserts to ensuring medical helicopters can be scrambled, much of what allows R&C to be a place to introspect is the attention to detail operationally. People relax when ops are smooth. Whether you're in a Scottish castle, a Bedouin tent or a Balinese palace, Davy ensures people and things are where, when and how they should be.
"Don't try to calm the storm. Calm yourself - the storm will pass".